Josh Ignites Donna's Resolve After Flenders' Defiance
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Donna reports her failure to secure the Flenders' vote, citing their grievances over economic policies.
Josh aggressively defends the administration's policies, listing economic accomplishments and urging Donna to present them convincingly.
Donna leaves again to try convincing the Flenders, shivering as she departs.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Aggressive determination masking frustration with local resistance
Rises from seat to follow Donna to coffee maker and her desk; interrogates meeting outcome, rubs face in exasperation, aggressively defends free trade and Bartlet's record with rapid-fire accomplishments—trade aid, loans, budget—dictates list for her to relay, firmly orders her back out twice despite her warmth plea.
- • Reignite Donna's fieldwork morale with concrete talking points
- • Uphold administration's free trade stance against protectionist pleas
- • Bartlet's economic policies foster long-term diversification over short-term protectionism
- • National achievements outweigh individual hardships in voter persuasion
Deep-seated resentment over job losses and mill idleness
Referenced repeatedly as unswayed Hartsfield's Landing holdouts refusing Bartlet vote due to Perren mill closure five years prior; their economic grudge invoked by Donna as core barrier, unyielding to administration accomplishments relayed via her outreach.
- • Withhold support until personal economic grievances addressed
- • Resist national policy narratives favoring local pain
- • Free trade prioritizes foreign importers over American workers
- • Administration indifferent to shuttered mill's human toll
Projected as steadfast leader via Josh's fervent advocacy
Invoked by Josh as policy champion whose economic record—trade adjustment aid, tripled small business loans, balanced budget—is aggressively defended and scripted for Donna to pitch to Flenders, positioning him as bulwark against protectionism amid primary stakes.
- • Secure primary loyalty through demonstrated fiscal strengths
- • Promote diversification over tariff protections
- • Balanced budgets and aid programs mitigate trade disruptions
- • Free trade drives broader prosperity despite local pains
Exhausted frustration laced with physical chill and defiant empathy for voters' pain
Enters wrapped in long coat, shivering from cold; reports Flenders' refusal to vote due to idle Perren mill and free trade losses; brews and sips coffee for fleeting warmth; challenges Josh on commitments, absorbs his policy list while writing dutifully at desk, then hurries out reluctantly into frigid night.
- • Secure specific policy commitment to sway Flenders
- • Convey local grievances to Josh for strategic response
- • Free trade devastates local jobs and voter loyalty
- • Voters prioritize personal economic scars over national stats
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Donna brews hot coffee into the sturdy mug amid shivers, gripping its warming ceramic for brief solace against bone-deep chill from fieldwork; sips reluctantly while protesting indoor warmth, then abandons it on her desk clutter as Josh's orders propel her back into night—symbolizing fleeting comfort amid relentless campaign grind.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Hauntingly referenced as shuttered five years by free trade, its rusted idle vats fuel Donna's accusation and Flenders' grudge; symbolizes local economic decay clashing against Josh's national policy defenses, underscoring voter disconnect in New Hampshire primary battle.
Serves as tense late-night strategy hub where Donna returns chilled, brews coffee at clustered desks under fluorescent glare, clashes verbally with pursuing Josh at her workstation amid scattered files; embodies White House staff fractures under Taiwan crisis and primary pressure, channeling raw policy debate.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Blamed by Donna for flooding Hartsfield's market with cheaper pulp, dooming Perren mill and hardening Flenders' refusal; cast as free trade villains in bullpen clash, their border surge invoked to humanize voter rage against abstract policy wins Josh champions.
Josh aligns Republicans with Bartlet admin by declaring shared rejection of protectionism despite mill woes, piercing partisan divide to bolster free trade defense; reframes them as unlikely allies in Donna's voter pitch, diluting Flenders' anti-trade ire amid primary scramble.
Narrative Connections
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Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"DONNA: "They're not voting for us.""
"JOSH: "It's called free trade." DONNA: "It's also called \"why the Flenders aren't voting for us\".""
"JOSH: "Go." DONNA: "([sipping her coffee]) It's so warm in here." JOSH: "Go.""